Gemotions

The sun was beating down on the bustling yard sale, the air thick with the smell of old furniture and forgotten things. Maria, listlessly browsing, almost missed him. He was shoved behind a box of broken toys, his once-proud fur matted and dusty. It was Coco, her childhood friend, her protector.

She knelt, her fingers gently tracing the outline of his stitched mouth. A sudden lightness filled her. The weight of the last year, a heavy sadness, seemed to lift a little. She turned to the elderly man sitting in a lawn chair, his eyes closed.

"How much for the bear?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. He opened his eyes, squinted at her, and named a price. Maria felt a sense of anticipation as she held him. She’d take him home, clean him up, and maybe, just maybe, the shadows wouldn't feel quite so long.